


Don't Let Her Go

by kaleidoscopespectrum



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Confessions, F/M, Lots of Angst, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reveal, Silent Treatment, dumb teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7258201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidoscopespectrum/pseuds/kaleidoscopespectrum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I need space.” Marinette stuttered, her eyes filling with tears as memories flashed before them.</p><p>“But, we love each other. We can finally be together, don’t you see how amazing an opportunity this is?” Adrien tried to take her hand, causing her to take a few steps back.</p><p>“No, don’t you see?” Marinette wiped her eyes, looking up at him. “You don’t love me, you love Ladybug. Just like how I love Adrien, not Chat Noir. We have to love both sides before we can be together.” He frowned slightly, never breaking eye contact. “I’m sorry, Adrien, really. But I just can’t do this right now.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anyone

Chat Noir gasped for air as he laid on the edge of the river. He felt the cool water run over his feet and grab at them, trying to pull him back into the raging water. He could barely find his breath as he clutched at his chest, coughing violently and leaning on his side. The world began crumbling beneath him as he grabbed chunks of grass from the ground, along with handfuls of rocks. He couldn't move his feet as something grabbed on tightly and started pulling. He couldn't go anywhere.

“Hey Kitty.” Suddenly, the world stopped. Everything went quiet, and as he looked up at the young girl in the red mask, he finally found his breath.

 

….

 

Adrien Agreste opened his eyes slowly as his alarm clock blared on the nightstand next to his bed. The boy groaned, rubbing his eyes and hitting snooze on the clock. He rolled over, staring up at the ceiling and releasing a big sigh. It had just been a dream. It was always just a dream.

He sighed and stood up, silently staring at the alarm clock that blinked red numbers at his face. It was 6:30 in the morning. Adrien slowly shuffled to his lightswitch and flipped it, wincing as the sudden light burned his eyes. He groaned loudly as he sluggishly walked towards his dresser, running a hand through his tangled hair. He quickly grabbed a t-shirt and, while closing the drawer, jammed his finger in it. 

“Shit!” He shouted, retracting his finger quickly and holding it in his hand, examining the forming bruise. 

“What?” The kwami groaned from under the sheets, Adrien's cry of pain having woken him from his slumber. “Why did you wake me up? And where's my camembert?”

“Ugh, it's in the kitchen. Go get it, nobody's up yet, anyways.” He sighed loudly, watching his kwami groggily float down the hall, humming while he went. Adrien closed his door gently and turned to his bed, pulling his pajamas off and replacing them with a grey short sleeved shirt and shorts that stop just below the knee. A heat wave had struck Paris in the last week, so Adrien had pulled out his summer collection from the depths of his closet. He looked in the mirror and stared at his reflection, pushing his hair back, and combing it through until he looked perfect. He always had to look perfect, but this morning, for some reason, he didn’t care. He shook his head violently, looking back up and smiling as his hair fell into place, seeming purposefully messy. 

“Are you leaving like that?” The kwami asked after returning from the kitchen, reeking of stinky cheese. “You look like Chat Noir.” Adrien turned around and smiled, picking up his bag and stepping into his shoes.

“Yes. I want to be myself, even just for a day. I just need to sneak out quickly.” He opened up his bag for Plagg to fly into and dashed through the house, quickly exiting through the large front door, slamming it shut behind him. He ran through the streets quickly, feeling the wind in his hair and smiling against it. As he ran past the Dupain-Chengs’ bakery, he was hit with the strong scent of baked goods. He heard his stomach rumble, realizing that he forgot to eat before dashing out. Checking the time on his phone, Adrien realized that he had a good 30 minutes before the doors of the school would even open, so, without any reluctance, he stepped through the glass door. At the sound of the chime, Tom and Sabine looked up from the counter, grinning widely as they recognized the blond boy.

“Adrien! Welcome back, what can I help you with? Are you walking Marinette to school?” Sabine asked hopefully, walking over to him quickly. A bit surprised, Adrien smiled slightly and blushed, embarrassed.

“I actually came in because I forgot to eat and was hoping to get something here.” Seeing Sabine’s face fall slightly, he quickly added, “B-but I can walk with her, too, if she’s okay with it.”

“Wonderful! Here,” Tom said, handing Adrien a few treats. “It’s on the house.”

“Oh! Are you sure? Because I can pay for them if necessary.” Adrien stuttered, feeling himself being pushed towards the stairs by the dark haired woman who smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry about it!” Sabine said, giving him one final push towards the stairs before returning to her husband behind the counter. “She should be up any moment, so just wait in the kitchen or living room. If fifteen minutes passes and she’s still not up yet, go up and knock on her door. She is infamous for sleeping through her alarm.”

“Alright, I will.” He said, starting up the stairs. “Thanks for the food.”

“Anytime, sweetie!” Sabine called up the stairs before turning towards her husband. “Honestly, that boy is just perfect for her.” 

 

…

 

Adrien walked around the living room after eating, running his hands over the spines of books as he passed them, smiling as he passed a series of pictures on the walls that seemed to be a picture of Marinette from every year of her life, stopping at the fifteenth. His smile softened as he realized that through the years, she always smiled brightly. He looked at the newest picture, thinking back on all the times he had seen her anything than happy, and realized that he never really did. He had seen her annoyed, definitely, but she had always been so chipper. Thinking back, Adrien realized that though she always seemed like that around other people, she never seemed like that around him. Whenever he talked to her, she would always start stuttering and her face would get red and she would act a little strange. It had gotten a bit better after they had hung out a bit. The only time he really remembered her being open with him was when they were playing videogames and she gave him her charm. 

He smiled gently at the memory and let his eyes move away from the pictures to the clock. His eyes widened a bit as he realized that they were going to be late. He dashed up to her room and knocked on her door. 

“Marinette?” No response. He knocked again, a little harder. Still nothing. “I’m coming in, is that okay?” He rested his hand on the doorknob, waiting for any sign that she was awake. After a minute of not hearing anything, he opened the door and stepped into her room. 

The first thing he noticed were the scattered fabrics all around her room, along with sketches pinned on the walls, next to pictures of…

“Wait. Is that me?” Adrien stepped towards the wall and realized that she had at least ten pictures of him hanging in her room. 

“Aw, the quiet girl has a crush.” Plagg smirked and watched as Adrien’s cheeks flushed bright red.

“She’s just a friend.” He reminded the kwami. Hearing a light mumble from across the room, Adrien remembered why he had come there in the first place. “Plagg! Hide!” Adrien watched Plagg disappear into his bag before crossing the room to Marinette in her bed. He blushed slightly as he looked at her sprawled out on the bed, her comforter hanging off the bed and resting on the floor. She wore a thin, light pink tank top and white shorts. Her hair was spread out on her pillow, obviously tangled, a strand in her mouth. He knelt down and brushed the hair out of her mouth, speaking softly. “Marinette, you need to get up.”

Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she looked over at Adrien, smiling. “Mmm, Adrien, hi.”

“Hey.” He replied, trying not to laugh at her slurred speech.

“Wait, Adrien?” Her eyes widened a bit as reality struck and she realized that Adrien was in her room, waking her up. “What are you doing here?” She grabbed the brush next to her bed and started nervously brushing her hair, not wanting it to look super messy in front of her crush.

“Uh, your parents asked if I wanted to walk you to school, and I accepted, is that alright?”

“Oh! Um, sure,” She replied, setting down her brush and putting her hair up in pigtails, fumbling with the bands for a few seconds before giving up and deciding to just have her hair down for the day. “I, uh, need to get dressed.” Marinette stood up and walked towards her dresser, rummaging through her clothes awkwardly as Adrien left. When he closed the door, Tikki flew out from behind one of Mari’s stuffed animals.

“Hey, Mari. Adrien kinda saw your pictures…” The kwami spoke quietly, smiling gently as she noticed the girl's bright red cheeks. “He didn't seem to really mind though, he just--”

“Agh, of course he did! He probably thinks I'm a huge stalker creep!” She picked a thin pink dress out from her dresser and slipped it on, pulling a white cardigan over it. She grabbed her backpack and her purse, putting in a few cookies before allowing Tikki to fly into it. “Alright,” She said, taking in a deep breath as she slipped on a pair of sandals, lacing them up and tying the laces into bows on her ankles. “Wish me luck.”

 

…

 

“Sorry about my parents, by the way. They're a little over the top.” Mari apologized to Adrien as they neared the school.

“Huh? Oh, no need to apologize, really. They seem really nice.” Adrien thought about his words before continuing, “And I like walking with you, anyways. It's fun.” He smiled kindly at Marinette, seeing her blush and turn away quickly. He frowned slightly and, as they reached the school, he stopped and faced her. “Hey, I have a question.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened as she awaited her fate. “Y-yeah?”

“Well,” Adrien ran his hand through his hair nervously and glanced to the side. “I, uh, saw pictures of me in your room earlier, and I was just wondering…”

Oh God.

“Do you like me?”

Oh no. “Um… yes.”

“Oh.”

Marinette clenched her fists tightly.

“Listen, I'm flattered, really,”

She felt tears burn her eyes as she pointed her gaze at the ground.

“But the thing is,”

She felt her face grow hot.

“I like someone else.”

She had trouble breathing as she stood there, shaking.

“I'm sorry, really. You're really nice, and I like you as a friend, just…”

She felt a tear escape and watched it fall to the ground. 

“Just not like that.”

She wiped her eyes hastily with her hand and looked up at him, trying to smile.

“I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.” She smiled brightly, trying to hide her tears. “Anyone would be lucky to have you.”


	2. Say No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As he opened his mouth to speak again, she pulled her arm back and, without any warning, slapped him firmly across the face. He stumbled back a few steps, letting her arm go as he pressed his cool hand to his bright red cheek. “I said no.”

Marinette gasped loudly, choking on her sobs. She tilted her head back, letting it rest against the cold tile wall of the bathroom as tears slid down her bright red cheeks, stinging her skin. She opened her eyes slowly, watching Tikki fly out from her bag and up to her face, wiping her tears away before resting on Marinette's knee. “I'm sorry, Marinette. I thought he liked you.” Tikki remembered seeing Plagg with Adrien and smiled, knowing the truth. 

“It's fine,” Marinette said, rubbing her eyes roughly, happy she chose not to wear makeup. “I didn't really expect any different, but it still feels terrible.” Marinette's eyes shot open as she had a sudden realization, and she looked down at a confused Tikki. “This must be how Chat feels.” She felt more tears come as she rambled. “Oh God, what have I done? He likes me so much and I just hurt him. I mean, I don't mean to, of course, but I do.” She looked down at Tikki, who just looked sorry for her. She hated that. “Ugh, maybe I should give him a chance. What do you think?”

“I think he loves you, Marinette.” The kwami shifted uncomfortably in Marinette's lap. “And if you give him a chance, you could see things in him that you love.”

“I hope so.” Marinette hugged Tikki tightly as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. “Agh, I need to go to class.” Marinette watched Tikki disappear into her bag before she stepped out of the stall to wash her face.

 

…

 

Adrien let out a big sigh of relief as he watched Marinette enter the room. He waved and gently smiled, receiving a sharp glare and annoyed grunt as she shuffled to her seat, sitting down quickly and crossing her arms over her chest, refusing to look at him. He rested his head in his arms and groaned loudly, the noise muffled by them. He felt tears sting his eyes and he tried to blink them away quickly, to no avail. He felt them rest on his arms, and he closed his eyes, sighing. Suddenly, he felt Nino tap on his shoulder, causing him to wipe his eyes and pull his head up, noticing a note on his desk from his friend. 

“What’s up with you and Mari?” The note read, in Nino’s messy handwriting. It took a moment for Adrien to decipher it before quickly scribbling a reply.

“She hates me again.” That was only the half of it. He ran his hand through his messy hair, remembering all of the times that he had been rejected as Chat Noir. It had destroyed him every single time, and he wouldn’t wish that feeling on his worst enemy, and he ended up forcing it onto his friend. He took in a deep breath and turned his head slightly, seeing Marinette furiously scribbling in her journal. She looked up and locked eyes with him. She could see him pleading for forgiveness with his eyes and she frowned slightly, looking back down at her journal. She bit her lip, looking down at her paper and clicking the button on her pen, watching a tear fall from her eyes and smudge the fresh ink on her page. 

Suddenly, a scream pierced the silence of the classroom, causing everyone to look up in surprise. “Excuse me,” Marinette whispered, clutching her purse and dashing out of the classroom, wiping her eyes hastily, followed by Adrien. He grabbed her arm lightly to stop her. “Hey, are you okay?” He watched her turn around quickly, anger and determination in her eyes as tears fell.

“Just… Leave me alone, please.” Marinette turned back around, trying to pull her arm free. “Let me go.”

“Marinette, please, I need to talk to you.” He tightened his grip slightly as she tried to pull away. 

“What? No, I said that I don’t want to talk to you right now, so just let me go.” The building shook as another scream sounded, this time louder and shrill, like a banshee had been released in the building. The sound sent bolts of pain through Marinette and Adrien’s heads, causing them to stumble a bit. “Okay, that’s it, Adrien, I need to go.”

“No, don’t worry about that, Ladybug will take care of it.” Adrien pressed his palm against the wall firmly, regaining his balance. “And I still really need to have a conversation with you.” He grabbed her wrist again, having let it go during the scream.

“I’m serious Adrien, let me go.” Marinette warned, glaring at him. Adrien stared right back, refusing to release his grip, causing Marinette to groan loudly. As he opened his mouth to speak again, she pulled her arm back and, without any warning, slapped him firmly across the face. He stumbled back a few steps, letting her arm go as he pressed his cool hand to his bright red cheek. “I said no.” She watched him lean against the wall, staring at her, before she took off towards the bathroom to transform.

He watched her go before sliding down the wall and plopping down onto the floor. As he hugged his knees to his chest, Plagg flew out of Adrien’s bag and sat on his knees, watching the boy before speaking, his breath reeking of cheese. “God, you really are an idiot.”


End file.
